


The One Who Fled

by DreamsOfArkanis



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Caffeine Addiction, Canon Compliant, Gen, Star Wars: The Force Awakens Spoilers, where did he go wrong?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-19
Updated: 2018-07-19
Packaged: 2019-06-12 18:11:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 826
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15345600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamsOfArkanis/pseuds/DreamsOfArkanis
Summary: As the dust settles in the Finalizer's hangar bay, General Hux reflects on FN-2187's career and what his treachery could mean for future Stormtrooper generations.





	The One Who Fled

**Author's Note:**

> This short story was originally posted as a solo-work on my Twitter RP account @Bow_To_The_1O.  
> It has been rewritten to be presented as a more cohesive story.
> 
> None of the characters present are owned by me, that honor goes to Lucasfilm and Disney.

Armitage Hux was an uncharacteristic -wreck-.

The General had maintained his cool composure while still out among the forces. It wouldn't do to have his men witness him crumble under this minor setback, nor did he wish to grant Ren even the most miniscule of things to pick at him over. The First Order's Enforcer was a constant thorn in his side and would take every opportunity to point out this failure. No, he simply couldn't let his facade of perfect calm in even the most stressful situations fail. Appearances were everything.

A quick preliminary search of personnel files had yielded the face and designation of their traitor. FN-2187 wasn't someone that the young General knew off-hand, but he would be making himself very familiar with the details of his life as soon as time permitted. First, things here had to be brought back to order. Somewhere down on that wretched ball of -dust- lie the key to their search for Luke Skywalker. This was a threat that needed to be eliminated, no matter the cost. This traitorous escapade could not be allowed to stand in their way of that important goal.

Once the orders were given and the immediate chaos began to settle down, the General took the chance to slip away to his private quarters. There, alone in the safety of those walls, he could allow his guarded features to drop. Panic had begun to tighten it's hold in his chest, heart accelerating as he struggled to come to terms with this. This sort of situation was simply -unheard- of. The occasional outburst among the ranks was not out of the ordinary. Such behaviors were expected to crop up from time to time, and measures had been put into place to quash them before they could develop into a fully rebellious attitude. An event of this magnitude, however, threatened to undermine the strict codes of loyalty that had been programmed into their young soldiers.

There would come a time where Armitage would be able to look back and rationalize that this occurrence was to be expected. The First Order's training programs had produced hundreds of thousands of Stormtroopers in it's time, and to have a singular unit rebel was statistically inconsequential. However, as he surrounded himself with the details of FN-2187's career on various screens in his quarters, such thoughts were not at the forefront of his mind. No…he needed to discover the root of this problem, and surely -somewhere- in these files he would be able to find it. Once discovered, measures could be taken to counteract such behaviors in future batches. Perfection was an ever-changing goal that was to be strived for at all times. To fall short was to accept failure, something that had been beaten out of him at a far younger age.

Each screen held a part of FN-2187's life, and as Armitage poured over the various details he was surprised at just how plain it all was. He had expected some sort of early rebellious streak, or something else in this soldier to stand out and mark him as unique. But, in the end, perhaps it was the lack of such features that had allowed him to slip by the other safeguards already in place to catch problem soldiers. FN-2187 was a good Stormtrooper, when it came to the training simulators that was. Records showed he was capable of high kill counts, but had a weakness for abandoning protocol and saving fellow troopers who had fallen behind. Armitage recalled a time he had overseen a training simulator and witnessed this trait himself. Such a shame…by marks alone he would have been one of their finest soldiers, but could it be his apparent need to help others had driven him to this? What a shame, if so. What a -waste-. Though becoming a battle-hardened soldier seemed out of reach, the First Order was a vast organization. Surely they could have transferred FN-2187 somewhere else to better suit his strengths. Galactic conquest required making use of every being they could.

The General sneered, rising quickly to his feet to pace by a different set of monitors. While this was a good start, there was a real possibility that other factors had contributed to this sudden act of treason. What was it?! What had caused this spark of defiance directed inwards at the Order rather than at their true enemies? The New Republic was what every Trooper should strive to destroy! The military leader thought he had driven that firmly into the head of each and every recruit with the continual speeches, propaganda, and training that shaped their future. His footsteps brought him back by his favored ice blue couch, one cushion swiftly finding itself hurled across the room as Hux vented his frustration.

Somewhere within these files lay the secret to FN-2187's treachery, and caffeine fueled obsession was going to keep General Hux awake until he found it.


End file.
